The discussion going on in Coley’s post regarding designated hitters got me curious -

Does the American League really have an advantage during interleague and World Series games because of the DH? And if so, by how much?

So I was trying to figure this out by examining who would have been that ninth hitter had each National League team made the World Series in 2007. Then I would take those 16 players and match them up against the DHs of the American League and see how large the difference would be. Problem is, even after a good deal of time spent on the issue, I just couldn’t figure some of these “ninth hitters” out.

Take Cincinnati for example. Would they have DHed Adam Dunn? Who would have played left in his stead? Norris Hopper? Would Jerry Narron have trusted Joey Votto in a World Series game? Would they have DHed Griffey to keep him fresh? Would Ryan Freel have started at third while Edwin Encarnacion DHed? The possibilities were just too much.

Consequently, I’m asking for your help.

If your favorite team had made the World Series in 2007, who would have DHed? And if this guy was a regular starter in non-DH games (like Adam Dunn), who would have replaced him in the lineup?

But there are some rules here so it’s not a free-for-all:

1. This is for the World Series - the end of the season - not interleague, where another 1/2 season remains afterwards.
2. Even if this player was on your team’s roster at the beginning of the year, if he was traded/released/optioned before the post-season, then he’s not eligible. For example, Mark Sweeney can’t be the answer for San Francisco since as of 10/1/07, he was a Dodger. I have to do this or else two teams may claim the same “ninth batter”. Which would just be carayzee.
3. Despite rule #2, I’m counting injured players as eligible. Some guys whose teams aren’t in the playoff hunt shut down their seasons in September. I didn’t want to lose these guys in the exercise.
4. (ADDED) I had three rules, now I’m at four. This isn’t for the 2008 season. It’s for 2007. I’m doing this because I wanted the bigger sample size.

So let me know in the comments! I promise to take all of this information soon and write something up showing the results as well as the AL vs. NL comparison.

Thanks guys and gals!

While I contemplate making “The wisdom of Ichiro” a regular feature, enjoy today’s choice quote from Seattle’s colorful corner outfielder.

Ichiro on the prospect of being traded:

“I haven’t heard that, but what I think about it is that when things are not going well, many people have different ideas, and that’s only natural,” he says. “If a crow has thought it, it would surprise me. But since it’s human beings, it does not surprise me.”

Q: Who holds the record for the single longest relief outing in major league history?

Answer after the jump… Read the rest of this entry »